Speaking

Digital sustainability | Responsible AI | Sustainable UX | Designing Futures

I am Keynote Speaker, Panelist, Moderator and Podcast Host with 10 years+ experience and I have spoken at international conferences like Adobe MAX, IXDA Interaction, World Usability Congress and market leading companies like LEGO, Siemens, Deutsche Telekom to Designers, Product Owners, Digital Leaders or Deveoleprs – sharing thoughts, ideas and best practices about Digital Sustainability, Designing for a better Future, the Responsible Use of AI and Sustainable UX.

Next talks

Checkout my next public talks. You are at one of these events as well? Let’s get in touch and meet for a coffee and chat!

Logo of GreenIO

Green IO
3 July, Munich

Talk „Sustainable UX – Strategies and Tactics (not only for Designers)“

Logo of the Future Product Days Conference

Future Product Days
24-26 Sep, Copenhagen

Workshop „Responsibility and Sustainability in AI“

World Usability Congress
13-16 Oct, Graz

Workshop „Applying Sustainable UX – From Strategy to Design Tactics“

NionNext, 2/3 April, Munich: Masterclass: „Building sustainable digital Products“
CMS Summit, 13/14 May 2025, Frankfurt: Talk
UX Connect 2025, 10/11 June 2025, Aarhus: Talk

Talk-highlights from the past

Find below a few highlight videos and pictures from my past talks. I have spoken at international Conferences like Adobe MAX, IXDA Interaction, UX Copenhagen, World Usability Congress or PUSH Conference. See my full track record of talks at conferences as well as companies like LEGO, Deutsche Telekom or Booking.com here.

PUSH UX

„How UX can hopefully save the world“

Thorsten Jonas on Stage of WUD Estonia 2024

World Usability Day Estonia

„AI – Can we be trusted with the magic Lamp“

Adobe MAX

„The Sustainable UX Manifesto“

Do you want to book me for a talk?

Get in touch and we can discuss what could fit your audience.

Topics of my Talks

Find below a selection of my topics about digital sustainability, ethical and responsible tech and AI, Sustainable UX or Designing for a better Future.

For: Designers, Product People, Digital Leaders, Developers

Sustainable UX:
Beyond User-Centricity

We improve the convenience for our users, but we fail to balance it with the negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems. By putting the user into the center of our work, we create harm on many other ends. Tony Fry once asked: „Does what we create justify what we destroy?” Finding justice between convenience and negative impacts, between profit and greater good is one of the major challenges of the future.

We need to set digital experiences into the context of its surrounding ecosystems and to design not only for the good of our users and business stakeholders, but for a sustainable future and all actors in the system.

For: Designers, Product People, Digital Leaders, Developers

Age of AI:
Can we be trusted with the magic Lamp

AI is reshaping our lives and our work as digital product builders and designers, offering innovative prospects, but also raising significant ethical and sustainability concerns. This encompasses understanding AI’s societal impact, addressing data privacy, algorithmic bias and environmental challenges, but also the potential to build more sustainable digital experiences.

For us, the critical question isn’t whether to use AI, but how and when to apply it responsibly and for good in our work.

For: Designers, Product People, Digital Leaders, Developers

Digital Sustainability:
Obligation AND Opportunity

We need to ask, how sustainable are the products and digital experiences we build and run? Still too many websites load tons of unnecessary data and thereby produce tons of unnecessary CO2 emissions. Still we build products focussing on our users, while harming other actors (human or non-human). Or still we build products that hang on to existing inequalities or constantly exclude certain people.

We need to re-shape the whole product creation process to make sustainability a default part of every step.

For: Designers, Product People, Digital Leaders

Imperfect Design for a better Future

Perfection is the growth narrative taught to us. We should achieve more, be more effective, get better. Design adapts perfectly: We create perfect websites, apps and services to make people more efficient. But optimizing for one aspect invariably causes detriment to another, be it social equity, environmental health, or economic sustainability.

Contrary to that, in nature, balance and coexistence are achieved not through maximizing individual elements to their zenith but through embracing the imperfection of each component. This natural equilibrium offers a powerful model for sustainable design, advocating for solutions that integrate the diverse needs and limitations of all stakeholders and the environment.

Do you want to book me for a talk?

No matter if you seek for a speaker for your conference, your large company event or team-meeting or any other type of event: Please get in touch and we can discuss in a personal call details, how and what might fit your audience, and if I can provide what you seek for.

Podcast Appearances

I had the honor to be a guest in various podcasts to speak about digital sustainability, sustainable UX, the future of UX and Design or Mental Health for designers. Find a small selection of highlights below:

Honest UX Talks #100

Green IO Podcast #32

Podcast Cover of the Sera Tajima Podcast, showing Thorsten Jonas and the Title of the Episode "AI & Sustainability"

Sera Tajima Podcast S2E5

UX Heroes #25

Future of UX #18

Track Record

Find below my track record of all public talks and workshops at conferences, companies (only these not under non-disclosure agreement), Podcast appearances and talks and lectures at universities.

Conferences / Events
2024
World Usability Congress, Graz
Green IO, London
WUD Estonia, Tallinn
UX Copenhagen, Denmark
Typo 3 Con, Jury Mem.
Design Business Days, Hamburg
Product Owner Days, Cologne
Unidig 2024, Denmark
Green Software Foundation, Online
Digital Design & UX Next, Munich
UX Camp, Bremen
UX Connect, Aarhus
Head in the Cloud 2024
UIG Tagung 2024, Karlsruhe
Future of Industrial Usability, Würzburg
Boye 24, Aarhus
UX Festival, Erfurt
WUD Hamburg, Hamburg
SUX Meetup, Amsterdam
2023
Money 20/20, Amsterdam
World Usability Day Switzerland
Hatch Conference, Berlin
UX Connect, Aarhus
DDX Conference, Munich
Webdagen, Nyborg
Boye 2023, Aarhus
International Week, Vienna
Working Products, Hamburg
Future of Industrial Usability, Würzburg
24 hours of UX, Online
nConf, Rostock
UX Roundtable, Hamburg
UX Festival, Erfurt
Product Tank Prague, Online
Product Beats Show, Online
2022 and before (Highlights)
Adobe MAX, 2020 & 2021
UX Copenhagen, 2022 & 2021
Interaction 21, 2021
World Usability Congress 2022, Graz
WUD Estonia 2022, Tallinn
PUSH Conference 2022, Munich
UX Festival 2022, Erfurt
UX Connect 2022, Aarhus
Boye 2022, Aarhus
Product Beats Show 2021, Online
IXDA San Diego 2021, Online
Indianapolis Design Week, Online
Tech Circus, Online
Adobe / IXDD 2019, Online
Big & Growing Festival, 2021 & 2022
IA Conference, 2016 & 2012
Republica / Media Con. 2016, Berlin
Adobe Creative Jam 2019, Hamburg
UX Camp Europe 2020 & 2014
World Usability Day Copenhagen 2021
Companies & Universities, Podcasts
Talks at Companies
LEGO
Siemens
Booking.com
Visma
Deutsche Telekom
Otto
Nordea
Kroger
Zalando
Harway
Nion
ARD
Jung von Matt
Scholz & Volkmer
Commercetools
KnowIt
Zühlke
Scotia Bank
FC St. Pauli
Podcasts
Future of UX
Honest UX Talks
Sera Tajima Podcast
Green I/O
Produktwerker
UX Heroes
Software for Future
German UPA Podcast
XR Podcast
Digi What
Abends in der Kreativwirtschaft
Global Burnout Awareness Week
El Camino People
Lectures at Universities
Hochschule Neu-Ulm
FH Vorarlberg
PfH Göttingen
EC Utbildning, Sveden
IT University Copenhagen
Technikum Wien
Design Factory Hamburg
Rheinische Hochschule Köln

Do you want to book me for your event?

No matter if you seek for a speaker for your conference, your large company event or team-meeting or any other type of event: Please get in touch and we can discuss in a personal call details and if I can provide what you seek for.

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